


checkmate means sacrifice, but maybe this is just the endgame

by Jaybird_Wings



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, BAMF Pepper Potts, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Captain America Sam Wilson, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Everybody Lives, Everyone Loves Peter Parker, Extremis Pepper Potts, Fix-It, Fluff, Minor Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau, Multi, Non-Chronological, Parent Clint Barton, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Sibling Bonding, Team as Family, Trauma, even adopted siblings are still family, everybody freaking lives I'm not a coward who kills their characters off like marvel, this is how I'm coping with endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-02-09 16:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18642214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaybird_Wings/pseuds/Jaybird_Wings
Summary: In a game of chess, you're bound to lose pieces until checkmate is reached. But this isn't a game of chess, and maybe they're reaching the endgame of something that won't require sacrifice.Or, the Endgame fix-it that doesn't hurt.





	1. have i over run my time or is my number up?

**Author's Note:**

> While watching Endgame, I thought about all the things that could have not happened and everything that could happen, plus my own theories that went out the window and here is my fit-it I guess. I have eighteen chapters planned out, and six including this one written.

Tony has always imagined how he was going to die. Young, too young, probably alone. He’s had many moments where he thought he was already gone.

 

         He's had so many brushes with death.

 

         Getting so drunk that one day his liver just had to give out on him.

         In his own home, heart torn out of his chest.

         His own heart poisoning him.

         Alone is space, watching an alien army explode.

         On a floating piece of rock while being hunted by a monster of his own creation.

         Betrayed in a Siberian bunker.

 

         He’s had so much more time than he deserved, but he’ll take it. For Pepper, for Morgan. For Peter, Harley, and Nebula. He’s grown, and he’s so he finally thinks he’ll survive this. He sees Captain Marvel with the gauntlet but something is wrong. Thanos still is holding on last stone. He meets Dr. Strange’s eyes for one moment, and he holds out a finger. One future where they win.

         He grabs at Thanos, taking the soul stone and it hits him like a wave that the aches and sores in his wrist for the past years suddenly surge to this moment, where he tosses the stone to Captain Marvel.

         Before Thanos snapped, he dreamed of Morgan. It was real, it is real.

         Carol smirks, fitting the stone in and snapping before Thanos can reach her. When she does, he stops running, stops trying.

 

         Watching the army turn to ash was satisfying to see, because they all deserved it. For a moment he’s so content dying this way. After all, a human could never handle the power of even holding infinity one stone.

 

         But he has an entire family to care about, by blood and by bond. He can’t leave them. So, he holds on. He doesn’t want to sleep yet.

 

 

         He wakes up to white, the smell of hospital already quit familiar.

         He sees the children that will be the heroes of tomorrow, circled around. He sees his family.

 

         “Your arm- they couldn’t save it.” Pepper speaks, but it sounds so far away. His face aches when he tries to move it, but distantly.

 

         “Relax, Tony, you can sleep now.” She comforts, and with smiling faces all around, he does sleep knowing he’ll wake up to everything again.

 

         He didn't die, and he wasn't alone.

 


	2. look what's laying at our feet

        Carol knows her powers are extraordinary. Not in the fun way, or even in an egotistical way. Just that, she could destroy armies effortlessly and so she had to be responsible with those powers. She defended worlds, even as it tired her. Even as she didn’t get to see her wife as much, even as it became so hard to find time to visit their child.

 

        But was she powerful enough to wield the infinity stones?

 

        She was no celestial, titan, or gamma radiation creation. Even the stones could damage Thanos, so she’s be lying if she said she wasn’t scared as she snapped the gauntlet. She had family to go back to and worlds to continue to protect. But brilliant light shone, and she withstood the damage. It didn’t burn away at her like Dr. Banner, as everything lit up.

        She felt powerful, and that was dangerous. But she took in it for a moment. The monster responsible for causing the trauma she saw on so many worlds for so many tears was finally dissolving into ash. Once again, she could overcome what the Kree drilled into her. She was powerful, and her emotions only powered that.

 

        As the battle worn Avengers of Earth finally caught a breath of air without the weight of the universe on their shoulders, so also breathed out with them.

 

        She chatted with some of the others. They had to rush Stark out because of his wounds, and many followed him. She would have liked to talk to the spider boy, maybe ruffle his hair but maybe that was her material instincts taking over.

        She chatted with the other captain, and with the two alien sisters as well.

 

        “The Guardians will get back to helping those out in space as well.”

 

        She fist bumped the mantis-like woman who came back form the snap, and she smiled so brightly. Moments like that was what this all so worth it.

 

As they all started splitting up, she heard the captain announce that they’ll take a well deserved break, but meet up again soon. She made eye contact with him, raised her hand in a small wave as he nodded his head to her, before turning to his metal-armed companion.

        They got their happy ending, like they deserved. They all did.

        She jumps, powering up and flying out of the atmosphere. The Earth will be ok with it’s heroes.

 

        The universe will be ok, but there’s always work to be done.

 


	3. i don't need the world to see

              Clint, with a mountain of mistakes on his back, moves forward to sacrifice himself for the soul stone. Natasha has grown so much from the haunted teenager with horror in her eyes. She should get to live more, to continue growing. But he’s already fallen so hard, so fast.

              Just when he thought he could see his family again, to hear their voices... Natasha said they had a chance, but he never really did.

              The cloaked figure stops him from walking, and Natasha freezes as well, still tensed and ready to stop him.

 

              “Oh, but something precious to your heart did just die. Your hope.”

 

              It’s true, the first hope Clint has felt in so long was smoldering away into ash in his chest, and just when Natasha handed it back to him. 

              The figure holds out an orange stone.

 

              “What’s the catch? You said a sacrifice was required.” Natasha asks.

 

              “You’ve both sacrificed so much, you don’t need another death to prove you need this stone.”

 

              “The world doesn’t ever work like that. Things don’t just get to be fair.” He scoffs.

 

              “Half the world is dead, and believe it or not, there are greater forces at work that aren’t happy with that.” He drawls. 

 

              He snatches the stone from his hands, quickly, before it could disappear.

 

              “No take backs.”

 

              “Of course.” The figure nods. 

 

              Natasha and him look to each other, and nod. Any victory at this point it a victory they’ll take.

 

              "Let's go, we still got half a universe to save." Natasha elbows his side, and he breathes out in relief as they walk down the rough terrain or Vormir. 

 

 


	4. it's the heat that drives the light

              One could say, Tony was the superhero of the relationship if they wanted to be funny. It wasn’t that Pepper didn’t like helping people, but having one of them risking their life on the line every other Sunday was enough stress for the two of them. Pepper liked the work that she did.

              After the Extremis incident, she wanted to stay out of Tony’s insane world of super heroes. He tried to engineer something that would ride her of the Extremis, but only found a mix that made it not as powerful. She still ran warmer, healed faster. If she really tried, she could bring fire to her hands.

 

              When the battle of the universe is happening, though, she wants to go help. She has the power to do so, and not pregnant to worry about like during the last battle. Friday presents her with a suit.

              “Mr. Stark made it specifically for you, should you ever need one.”

              It fits her and her fighting style perfectly. He built a system that works with her fire and the effects of Extremis as she fights.  
She throws a burning punch that melts heads off bodies. The suit shoots bullets into enemies around her. She fights, she dances around Tony. It feels perfect.

              Everything looks okay, but as she sees Tony lunge at Thanos she wants to scream. She sees it burn at his skin, even from a distance.

              “Friday, we need Helen Cho’s assistance immediately.”

              “Contacting Helen Cho…”

 

              Captain Marvel snaps and saves the universe, but Pepper goes to Tony. She sees Peter Parker, the kid Tony doted over before he vanished in the snap. They rush him to get medical help, and he stress makes the extremis in his system burn bright in her veins.

              “Whoa.” The teen says when he sees it.

              They kept Pepper’s abilities on the down low, as she wasn’t interested in being any sort of Avenger.

              “I usually don’t fight, I’m not like Steve or Sam, or Tony. I’m happier helping people out a different way.”

              “But you weren’t born with these powers?”

              “No, I wasn't.”

              He hums. “I wasn’t either. I just feel so… responsible.” She smiles softly to the kid, she just wants to wrap up his thin frame in blanket and read a bedtime story.

              “Hey, I do good in the way I want to, and you’re doing good in the way you want to. That’s what matters in the end, I think.”

 

              They wait for Tony to recover. He will, Helen has assured them of that.  
              So, they wait.

 


	5. if it's cold in the water am i better for it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EVERYBODY lives in my fic

Thor has lost Loki before, and he came back. Maybe it was stupid to hope.

        Loki was clever, though, he wouldn’t just thoughtlessly attack Thanos without a plan like that. His brother knew how to survive.

        But five years did pass, and Valkyrie came back, but his brother didn’t.

 

        “Did you see him, anywhere? Even just his body?”

 

        “I’m sorry, Thor, but no.”

 

        He’s in denial for so long, that when it hits him he feels ridiculous. Of course, he saw his brother get strangled to death. He should have been properly mourning, but instead he was holding onto a dying hope.

        Then, impossibly, Stark works out time travel.

        The past is full of ghosts, though. An Asgard filled with people still living in the splendor of it all. Frigga, alive, beautiful and vibrant and alive. Odin, still alive. 

        As he and the rabbit pass by the jail cells, his breath catches.

        His brother, alive.

        For being so old, the time spent with their rekindled friendship and brotherhood was so short. He feels so stupid, spending so much time neglecting his family, acting like a child.

He knocks on the glass.

 

        “Loki, I love you.” He runs off before he can see Loki’s reaction.

 

        It wasn’t his brother, not really. A different world, a different time, but if it get’s to be the last word’s to any iteration of his brother, he wanted them to be that.

        He never spent enough time reassuring Loki was still his brother, despite everything. Maybe they had different parents and different blood, but that couldn’t change anything.

        His entire family has died, and somehow he’s the one to survive. Not his father who ruled worlds, not his cunning mother, and not even his brother who could live through anything.

        But they gather the stones, and Banner snaps.

        A battle follows, and he feels his age. Too old to be doing this, too tired of everything. But orange portals open up, and the dead are alive. He hopes.

        Rogers leads them into a battle for the universe, as he fights his brother’s murderer and his army.

        He hears one of the soldiers roar behind him, but someone attacks it before him.

 

        He turns and hears, “I’m here.”

 

        In the middle of battle, everyone fighting their hardest for the sake of life against a titan pursuing death, he pauses to hug his brother.

 

        “I thought I really lost you for good.”

 

        “You know me better than that.” He scoffs, but it holds no malice.

 

        The two get in position to fight, together, and kick ass.

 

 


	6. reflections still look the same to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marvel did my boy Bucky dirty and I'm here to fix that, also Marvel doesn't understand time travel I'm saying you're broke marvel

Bucky is nervous when Steve steps onto the time travel launch pad, because he knows how Steve feels about returning to the past. Hell, he’s dreamed of being able to go back before the war. Before the war. Things were simple and he was simple. He could have just quietly love the tiny blonde boy for the rest of his life. But he got sent to war, died, didn’t, and all the hell that entailed.

        Steve disappears, and it scares him. He could find Peggy again and-

 

        “-Two, one.”

 

        For a moment, his heart drops. Of course.

        But it lights up, and he steps off. Bucky smiles to him, pretending he almost didn’t panic over losing the love of his life.

        Steve looks at him oddly, but doesn’t mention it.

        They split up their separate ways, for a break. They’ll meet again, they always end up doing so. But the world is really ok for the moment.

 

        “You doing better, Buck?”

 

        “Yeah.” And he really is.

 

        From the first time he saw Steve in the present day, until now, he really has gotten so much better. He’s himself, not living in the fear of Russian words or Hydra’s driving words of poison.

        Steve stops the two of them from walking, and looks nervous. Behind the whole facade of captain, he rarely took time to look nervous anymore.

 

        He says, “Look, uh, the world was halved, and I’ve seen a lot of people regret what they never did. I just, me too. Bucky, what I guess what I’m trying to say is, I don’t want to regret like that again, and a world without you it- I love you.”

 

        Smiling didn’t feel so easy anymore, but even if the tiny blonde boy wasn’t so tiny anymore, he’s been in love for a long time.

 

        “I love you, too.”

        The world died, didn’t, and got the happy ending it deserved.

 

        “The future is crazy, Buck, but I couldn’t do it without you. We should just settle down, try out that thing called living.”

 

        “Could you really put down the shield, though?”

 

        “Actually, I had an idea on who to give it to.”

 

        The next day, the two of them were face with to face with Sam Wilson. He didn't look too happy to see them, but maybe that was because it was so early in the morning. Steve held out his shield, and Bucky nodded.

 

        "You're going to make me wear stars and spangles?"

 


	7. go tell the world that i'm still alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so upset when my soul stone theory was disproven so :o

Peter remembers things from after the snap and before they were brought back.

        Peter is nervous to bring it up, because everything surrounding the snap is kind of an off limits for conversations so soon. Orange sunsets are bothering him, though, and he couldn’t bear to swim in the ocean with Ned and Michelle the other day.

        There’s only hazy memories now, but he’s almost sure they’re memories.

 

        He’s seen Shuri look so forlorn at the burning orange sky at evening, seen Sam get spooked around water for no reason. That’s what… what the inside of the stone was like, anyhow. It was just endless orange sky and water.

        Peter remembers it so clearly, _dissolving_ in Tony’s arms. His senses where going haywire, alerting him to a danger he couldn’t control. As he blew away, everything came back together. In pieces. He woke up with his head underwater, and didn’t react for a moment. He had just blown away into ash, after all. He was dead.

        But his lungs ached with the feeling of being alive and needing to breathe, so he sat up and had gasped for air. Around him, there was just water reflecting an orange sky.

        People start springing out of the water, crying out in confusion. A hand landed on his shoulder, and his immediate reaction was to retaliate.

 

        "Woah kid, I'm just trying to help." Peter recognized the man from the airport- Falcon. A familiar face was comforting in the place- whatever it was.

 

        "I died."

 

        "I think we all did."

 

        They would spend five years in that place.

 

        Time felt weird, there, but there was nothing but people lost and confused. Many distressed. He tried to stick with the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but in a haze he wandered, lost. He was lost, until he sank and came back.

 

        It feels more like a dream, rather than five years inside a pocket reality created by the soul stone, or whatever it was Dr. Strange called it.

 

        Nobody talked about it, but nobody talked much about the snap either. As Captain Rogers put it, they were taking a well deserved break before they would talk about everything that happened.

        But he couldn’t relax. Tony was recovering in the hospital, May was still messed up every time she saw him, and Ned asked so many questions. He didn’t blame him, but it was just too much and not enough at the same time.

 

        So, he calls Shuri. From the little he interacted with her, he could tell she was strong and independent for her age, but also his age.

 

        “Do you remember the soul world?”

 

        “… the orange place? It was real…. of course it was. Of course it was.” She sighs.

 

        “I thought it was hell.” He confesses.

 

        “My religion hadn’t ever describe a place like that.. I didn’t know what think and it was so hard to, there.”

 

        “Like a dream, yeah. My father, before he passed, talked about hell a lot. Said I’d go there for… yeah, but the screaming souls, the hopelessness, I really believed it.”

 

        “Well… it wasn’t. We’re alive.”

 

        “For whatever that’s worth.” He says, words slipping out of his mouth before he thinks about them too much..

 

        “Listen to me,little American boy, you got your life back, and with it your family. You got your father, mother, and friends back. We all gained so much, never forget that. You’re alive again, we should start acting like it again, huh?”

 

        “Yeah.”

 

        Yeah.

        The call ends.

 


	8. i’ll be home, safe and tucked away

Tony didn’t have to spend too long in the hospital, thanks to the help of Helen, but Steve didn’t have to call a meeting of the Avengers so soon afterwards. Tony himself has barely had any time to recover and get use to his new nano-tech arm before they got the call.

 

        Everyone looks brighter in the face, at least. Thor has gotten out of his slump ever since Loki came back. Steve and Bucky are… disgustingly domestic, like high school teens or something. Bragging about buying a place together, getting a pet dog or something, planting a garden.

        Sam and Rhodey are bickering and that’s how you really know the world has return to normal.

Peter looks too young, compared to all of them.

 

        “How’s re-adjusting going, kid?” 

        Peter smiles nervously, but it’s off.

 

        “It’s going?”

        He pats him on the back. At least he’s smiling again.

 

        After a bit of social time, Steve speaks up.

 

        “Ok, so we’re here to discus logistics after everything that has happened.”

 

         Sam calls out, “Tell us when the wedding is!”

         His face goes red, and of everyone, Barnes is laughing, too.

 

        Peter face wrinkles up, “Wait, weren’t they already a thing? Or did I just assume that?”

        That cracks everyone up even more, and Steve starts smiling, too.

 

        “Everyone, focus. The guardians of the galaxy have out-world things to attend to, and we’ve kept them on Earth long enough.

        He hears Rocket make an offhand comment to Thor.

 

        “And Shuri, thank you so much for making time to come here.”

 

        “Honestly, my brother just promised me I could go to disneyland after this.” She sighs.

 

        “Awesome! I’ve never been to Disneyland.” Peter sighs.

 

        Tony gasps, “Never been to Disneyland? I need to fix this monstrosity right now.”

        Steve loses control of the room again as they start talking about Disneyland. A room of heroes who saved the universe, talking about gift shops and rolled coasters.

 

“The world was halved-” “-I wanna ride splash mountain!” “- and we need to take responsibility-” “-how far away is it from here?” “-because there’s still things-” “Only an hour or two if we take my ride-” “-to work out.”

 

        Tony laughs, “Welp, Rogers, you’ve lost them.”

 

        “Tony, Doctor Strange wanted me to ask about the stones. And Captain Marvel wanted to know about the aid efforts. And Bucky and I have been talking about-”

 

        “The honeymoon location?” He jokes.

 

        “No, about- about something odd. About the vanished and their time gone.”

        His face drops.

 

        “We need to talk about the snap, Tony, no matter how much nobody wants to.”

        He looks around to Shuri and Peter acting out something with music playing from somewhere as everyone cracks up, and this is nice. This is why they went through time and hell to fix things. 

 

        “Let them have this moment. They’ve been deprived of this.”

        Steve nods heavily.

 

        “Have _you_ ever been to Disneyland?”

 

        “…No, it wasn’t even made yet in my time.”

 

        He smirks, “Well let’s going then.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> so I know I've been radio silent bc school is literal hell, but here's things I've been meaning to write:  
> * write an endgame fix it fic  
> * get the next she-ra fics written out  
> * work on bnha au (haven't quit that!)
> 
> I have finals week soon, but then I'm out of school and I can write a ton more!!
> 
> I'm at https://nonbinary-wizard.tumblr.com if you wanna scream with me about Endgame or anything else


End file.
